The Lincolnshire Fens

Facilitation Fund Success

The South Lincolnshire Fenland Farmers Group is celebrating success following its bid to the new Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund.

With thirty-five applications across England & Wales the South Lincolnshire Fenland Farmers were one of only nineteen successful applicants.

The farmers will work together, undertaking new activities & managing fenland options across farm boundaries. They are all working in the fens priority area & using the South Lincolnshire Fenlands Partnership Project area as a focus. Options complement the partnership's aims of making Baston & Thurlby Fen, (international & nationally designated sites) more resilient and, where appropriate, increasing fenland & wetland habitat.

Focusing activity at a wider, landscape scale & working with a partnership organisation is a new way of looking at, and delivering, agri-environment options. Working with neighbours across farm boundaries they will be selecting and locating options where they will achieve most for fenland priorities.

Roger Wardle is the facilitator for this scheme, supported by Amanda Jenkins from the South Lincolnshire Fenlands Partnership.

Six farmers signed up with the original application with a further two subsequently joining the group. The scheme stipulated that total land area of the group had to be spread across a minimum of four largely adjoining holdings and cover at least 2,000ha.

Biodiversity in the Fens

Of Lincolnshire's original 100,000 hectares of wild wet fenland, only 55 hectares now remain - a loss of over 99.99%. This loss is responsible for the decline and extinction of much of the flora and fauna dependent upon these diverse wetland habitats.More about biodiversity

History in the Fens

Bog oak, pine and yew are still regularly pulled from the peat fens which have preserved the ancient underlying forests, flooded over 5,000 years ago by rising river and sea levels.More about our history

Visit in the Fens

Whatever the season, you can visit the fens and explore the best of Lincolnshires wild fenlands. Download, or pick up a free Gateway to the Lincolnshire Fens leaflet.More about the Fens